| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Pond of Safety, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Four Soldiers Trail, Underhill Trail, Carlton Notch Trail, Crescent Ridge Trail, Pond of Safety Path, Community Forest Road, Double Brook Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, January 8, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Community Forest parking area is plowed. Signs indicate parking rules. The upper spots are for locals, the lower ones for guests. There is no overflow parking allowed. Thank you, Randolph community. :) |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Skis |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Lots of little drainages and streamlets |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few blowdowns here and there, more on the eastern end of Four Soldiers |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Little mountain dog with us did fine. Snowballing was a bit of an issue, however. |
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 | Bugs: |
Two snow spiders |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Well, we had to work a little bit for this one. We found SNOW... beautiful, deep, powdery snow...8"... 10"... often 12" (or so it seemed!). Snowshoes car to car. Two of us left a nice little trough. (I checked "skis" as well because this route is described in the 2005 edition of the Randolph Paths guide as a very strenuous ski tour!)
Egan with Community Forest Road which had been snowmobiled. Next, Carlton Notch which had seen hiker and skier traffic. Crescent Ridge for .2, then down the untracked current winter wonderland that is Underhill* Trail. The woods are gorgeous,the snow deep and covering every branch, the trail a bit tricky to follow here and there. Thankfully I had scoped this one out in the fall and had a good GPS track.
We continued to Pond of Safety and did the little accessible path to the pond. FR 250 had been snowmobiled, so we got a .6 mile (out and back) respite from trail breaking.
We headed back via Four Soldiers Trail, equally a winter wonderland with continued trail breaking (but manageable and fun!) through deep snow. Once we crested the ridge and began our descent, following the trail through the hardwoods became a bit more tricky. GPS to the rescue.
We crossed groomed snowmobile trail 116 three times and hiked Four Soldiers Trail as far as Double Brook Road to Community Forest Road, leaving a tiny piece of FST to do next time with Ledge/Notchway. We were ready to be done, and the sun was setting, but we made it back before needing lights. Great day in the woods and of course saw no one out there.
*Underhill Trail was named for Miriam Underhill, a pioneer of women's mountaineering and long time resident of Randolph. She and husband Robert were the first to conceive of and climb the NH 4000 footers in winter. |
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 | Name: |
Snowflea |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-01-09 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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